Cloquet Area Home, Business and Sport Show returns after three-year hiatus – Cloquet Pine Journal

CARLTON – Surrounded by his handcrafted, bespoke saunas prominently displayed on the floor of the Otter Creek Event Center, Troy Persaud of Cloquet, owner of Heritage Sauna Company, welcomed a host of eager admirers to his Cloquet Area Home, Business exhibit and Sport Show takes place on Friday, March 17th at Black Bear Casino Resort.

The popular local event celebrated its return after a three-year hiatus with over 125 booths showcasing a variety of local products and services for businesses ranging from BBQ catering businesses to car and RV sales and everything in between.

Persaud’s sauna shop, featuring barrel and traditional sauna models and a cedar whirlpool, was a popular attraction for attendees at the event. Sauna building started as a hobby, Persaud said, and has grown into a full-fledged business this year.

“I started out building houses at Persaud Construction, and we ended up actually starting a new company, the Heritage Sauna Company,” Persaud said. “It’s just something I enjoy doing, and it started out as a hobby and then grew into a business, and so we’re just going to take it to see how it goes.”

Another local business in its infancy is Holy Smokes Catering Company, owned and operated by co-owners Lee and Julie Harris in Cloquet. The two decided to get into the grill business after giving up their previous careers in the medical field and purchasing a commercial smoker.

“We sort of put our other careers aside and wondered what we should do in the future and we decided to learn how to smoke meat,” Lee explained.

Specializing in smoked pork, brisket and turkey, Holy Smokes operates from a food truck during the summer months before moving to catering during the winter.

At the opposite end of Otter Creek’s convention center was Wood City Motors, which made its debut at the Cloquet Area Home, Business and Sports Show earlier this year. A new Ford Bronco was on display along with a special Waldoch Ram truck.

Visitors even had a chance to win a $500 raffle in vehicle savings or parts and service if they correctly guessed how many M&Ms are in the jar.

Sales Manager Jimmy Saice was impressed when he attended the event for the first time.

“Having wandered around here for a bit and looked around, I was quite impressed with how many vendors and people make jewelry and other things, so I was quite impressed with what they had to offer. And lots of familiar faces, so if you’re from the Cloquet area, it’s a great place to reconnect with friends and make new ones.”

Jake Przytarski is a reporter for the Cloquet Pine Journal and covers a mix of news and sports.